The Lost Girl
by BobWhite
Summary: Chloe gets separated from an off-world team and the Destiny must race the clock to get her back on board before the ship jumps into FTL. Full summary inside. Pls R&R 2 find out more.
1. Exploratory Mission

**Full Summary:**

While on an exploratory missions off world, Chloe disappears and it's up to her shipmates to find her. What happens when a young girl finds her first? Has this girl been all alone on the planet since becoming stranded nearly three years ago? And what is so dangerous on the planet that has the rescue teams stuck at the gate? Will Chloe and the mysterious girl make it back to the gate before Destiny jumps back into FTL?

**Exploratory Mission:**

**Destiny:**

Chloe was with Eli in the Kino room looking at some of the footage they had taken from the planet that the ship had stopped near. It had been nearly three years since they left the other galaxy behind and they needed to get resupplied with some food. Though the spider bots had fixed the ship's greenhouse while it was in FTL, the crew was still a long ways away from having more food than they had at the moment. It would take a few more months for the food to grow to eatable size so hence the need to go to the planet below and collect some food and water.

Chloe, Eli, TJ, Varo, James, Scott, Grear and a few others were headed for the planet in just five minutes and Chloe and Eli were packing their bags just in case they got separated from the main group. They both had a Kino as well as a remote just in case they needed to get back to the gate and fast. James and Varo had gotten very close after everyone was let out of Stasis and Grear and Park had stayed close, though Dr. Park still couldn't see. TJ and Colonel Young had also gotten close after Stasis, well closer than they had in a long time. Camille had wanted to go, but had opted to staying behind.

Camille caught up with Eli and Chloe as they left the Kino room and headed for the gate room. She asked if they could possibly find some kind of strawberry or since they were going off world to bring back whatever fruit they could find. The two friends smiled and said they would do what they could as the three of them walked into the gate room. With the rest of the off world team ready to go, the gate was dialed and the team stepped through the gate.

**The Planet:**

The first things they noticed after stepping through the gate was the noises surrounding them. TJ was the first to realize that something seemed off. That the planet was somehow watching them. They set up a temporary command center right next to the gate just to have a little more security and then the groups were given separate assignments and moved out. Scott was with Eli, Chloe and Grear; Varo was with James and Dr. Volker. The others split into teams and headed out in different directions.

The four friends laughed as they made their way into the jungle, the two soldiers always on the lookout for anything dangerous. Little did they know that they were being watched. Chloe was the first to see the fruit hanging from the tree and they went immediately to the tree, picking as much of the fruit as they thought necessary and placing it in the bags that they had brought with them. They moved on, spotting clusters of fruit and vegetables and picking as much as they deemed necessary and putting them in the bags. By the time their bags were full, they had almost circled back to the first fruit tree that they had spotted. And that's when it happened.

The roar stopped the four friends dead in their tracks. Chloe looked around and tried to figure out where the roar had come from until something started crashing its way straight towards them. With Scott and Grear holding the bags of food they started running towards the gate with Eli yelling into the radio that they were being chased by something and that everyone needed to get back to the gate immediately. They kept running until they couldn't hear anything chasing them anymore. It was then that they realized Chloe was no longer with them.

**Missing:**

Chloe had tripped and fallen down a small incline. She was sitting very still; unable to move for fear that whatever had been chasing them might have seen her fall. She had tried to peek behind her but couldn't see without moving her head. She felt someone or something breathing on the back of her neck and was about to move when it jumped in front of her. The beast was huge and the two teeth protruding from its mouth were long, almost as if it belonged to some kind of prehistoric cat. And that's all it took for Chloe to start screaming.

She got up and started running, not really paying attention to where she was going, and screaming the entire way. She could hear the cat chasing her and she kept going. When she couldn't scream anymore, she shut her mouth looked behind her once and kept on running. The cat had stopped for some reason and was letting her run. She looked forwards again and saw why the cat had stopped. She stopped running almost immediately and gaped up at the animal in front of her. She was about to start screaming again when a hand slipped over her mouth and someone whispered in her ear.

"Whatever you do, don't scream! It's blind and it can't see you but if you scream it will lash out and kill you. Now, slowly backup, turn around and let's go."

She didn't need to be told twice and did as she was told. The girl kept ahold of her hand as she pulled her along, back towards the cat which was laying on the forest floor as if waiting for someone. And that's when she realized that the cat was somehow tame, not wild like the rest of the animals that she had encountered thus far. When they got near the cat, the girl climbed onto its back, turned and offered her a hand up. Chloe took the hand, not wanting to be left here with the creature that could kill at the slightest sound. Once she was settled and holding onto the girl, the girl kicked the cat into gear and it ran off into the jungle, probably taking them to where the girl lived.

Will the rescue teams be able to find Chloe? Will the girl help Chloe get back to the gate? Will the girl and her cat be able to leave the planet and live with the crew of the Destiny?

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_


	2. The Lost Girl

**The Lost Girl:**

_**Previously…**__Will the rescue teams be able to find Chloe..._

**The Cave:**

When the cat had finally slowed to a stop, it was standing in front of what looked like a cave. The cat lay down and let the girl help Chloe from his back. They went into the cave and the girl lit some torches to brighten the cave up. Chloe saw how the girl had been living and noticed that there seemed to be some extra-large bags that she assumed were tied to the cat. The girl offered Chloe a seat on a chair and then the girl got some drinks ready. Chloe watched as the girl made some drinks and then set down in front of her, offering her a drink in the process.

"Thank you for rescuing me."

"It was nothing. But I hope your friends made it back to the gate alright. Raptors aren't known to leave their prey to escape."

"Raptors? You mean dinosaurs? But how? And what about that cat out there?"

"You mean Storm? He's the only one of his kind on this planet because I had him with me when my transport shuttle crashed here."

"How long have you been living here?"

"Almost three years now. But enough talk about that. We need to figure out how to get you back to the gate before whatever ship you came in leaves without you. I'm Myst by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Chloe Armstrong. Three years, how did you manage to survive all this time? From what we saw, before we were attacked, this place looked like a peaceful place."

"It was peaceful at first and then I realized that I was being watched by the animals of the planet. I found this cave the first week I was here and moved in. I knew there was a possibility that I wouldn't be rescued so I decided to figure out how to survive no matter what I had to do. We'll pack most of the stuff onto Storm as he's used to moving stuff back and forth and then we'll head out for the gate. I wanted you to be able to rest before we headed back out. Storm will make sure we don't get eaten and if we are on him together then we can just use the force field that I have and nothing will be able to harm us."

"Well it will take some convincing to allow you onto Destiny. We're not too keen on letting people we know onto the ship without certain people meeting them first. As for Storm, I don't think they'll let him on at all."

"But Storm and I have been through everything. Besides, if we wait till the last possible second to get aboard they won't have a choice but to let us stay onboard."

"That is true, but they could just drop you off on the next available planet that is habitable."

"Not unless I tell them what this Galaxy is famous for."

"Famous? Like how?"

"Well for starters, it's not as abandoned as most people might think. We know better than to come out of hiding when we don't want people knowing about us, but we will come out if friends are willing to help us. Besides, with me onboard, I can translate some of the languages spoken in this galaxy. And it always helps to have someone well versed in the galaxy's ways onboard."

"You make a valid point but maybe we should start packing now. Destiny is only going to be in orbit for another four hours before it jumps back into Hyperspace. Are we going to bring all of this with us?"

"Only the essentials. I will leave the furniture that I have made for anyone else that happens to get stranded here as well as instructions on how to get inside. The dinosaurs on this planet can't read English or any other language so writing it on the rock door will help people understand that this is a safe place for them to stay."

"Okay, so what kind of essentials are we packing?"

"Clothes, weapons, food and the water canteens. Come on, we better hurry, it will take a little over two hours to get back to the gate especially now that we are packing Storm up with my belongings."

Chloe and I started packing the bags and once everything was packed, we tied it to Storm who just let us do what we needed to do. Once everything of value that I wanted to take with was out of the cave and packed on Storm, with the help of Chloe, I rolled the stone door in front of the cave entrance after taking two torches from the cave and extinguishing the rest, having left matches and dry wood in the cave so the next stranded person could use it without worrying about going out looking in a wet forest. Using a permanent marker that Chloe lent me, I wrote a note to the next inhabitant of the planet telling them this was a safe cave for them to stay in if they needed till whatever rescue came for them.

**The Search Party:**

The Cave:

We headed out shortly after writing the note and putting a lament over it that would rot away after the first rains. It was a special product my people had made that would keep anything waterproof no matter how hard it rained. I helped Chloe onto Storm then pulled myself up and we headed out. I had a water canteen on me and Chloe had at least two water bottles in her bag so we would be good for a while. Once off the mountain and onto level ground, though the forest still loomed over us, I urged Storm into a run and we headed for the gate.

The Gate:

Scott, James, Grear and Varo had come back through the gate and were starting to head out. They each had ammo on them to keep them good and going until they found Chloe. They had heard her screaming earlier and then her screams had stopped. They hoped that she wasn't hurt in any way and knew that if she was, TJ would be on hand just in case.

They headed out, saying that they would meet back at the gate in one hour, no matter what they had found out. The planet, they had discovered, was home to dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. They'd had to be careful after they learned that little tidbit. So with Scott and Grear as one team and James and Varo as the other, they split up and headed in two different directions to see if they could possibly find Chloe.

But as luck would have it, all four were back at the gate an hour later having found no sign of Chloe or which way she might have headed. They were about to head out again, when they got the distinct feeling that they were being watched. They moved to the gate and were about to dial, when Scott thought he heard his name being called.

**The Gate:**

Storm had stopped on a hill just above the gate and just out of sight of the four soldiers that stood in front of the gate. He'd sensed that they were not alone and had started to slowly make his way down the hill when he suddenly came to a stop. He saw what Chloe and I both saw: two Velociraptor's heading straight for the group. The team had obviously felt that they were being watched and had moved towards the gate. They had been about to dial when I jumped from Storm's back, grabbed the bow and arrows and moved to a position where I could aim and kill both creatures in two swift movements. I looked up at Chloe and nodded that it was time for her to start yelling and she did it with as much voice as she could muster.

"Matt!" _her scream echoed throughout the forest and the young soldier turned towards the sound of his name, still unable to see the group on the hill. But his turn brought the attention of the raptors into sight._

"MATT! Get out of the way!" _The last yell had the four running for cover as the gate activated._

I took aim at the first raptor and let the arrow fly. It caught the raptor in its throat and he fell down dead. The second one turned towards the hill and started running at us. I let the second air fly and the raptor stumbled to a halt before falling to the ground dead, the arrow having gone through its heart and sticking out its back. I jumped back up onto Storm and moved him down the hill, collecting the dead raptor as we went. Storm laid the second raptor next to the first one before I dismounted and helped Chloe down. She flew into the soldiers arms almost immediately, hugging as best as she could. The group was all smiles.

I bent down next to the two dead raptors and did my best to remove the arrows. Taking my skinning knife, I plunged it down and twisted, just to make sure the creatures were really dead before grabbing them and wrapping them in two blankets before pushing them up onto Storm's back. If anything the ship would have some fresh meat for a while.

"I see you made some new friends." _Matt said._

"Matt, this is Myst, she saved my life. Well, at first I ran from Storm and then he stopped chasing me as I ran into an even dangerous animal. I was about to scream again when Myst came up behind me and covered my mouth and told me if I screamed the creature would lash out and kill me. She took me back to the cave she's been living in and after a small talk, we packed everything up and started heading for the gate."

"Colonel Young isn't going to want to take on two more mouths to feed, especially one being a prehistoric cat." _James said._

"We won't be any trouble. Besides, the way I see it, you could use my help. The least you could do is give me a ride home."

"You mean this galaxy is inhabited?" _Grear asked._

"Of course. Millions of people live in this galaxy as well as the next four galaxies after this one. I was headed for my home world when my transport ship crashed. I've been stuck here ever since. Storm has been my only companion. Now, I suggest we leave this bloody planet at once before the larger carnivores smell the dead raptors and come looking."

"Alright, but you might want to be on your cat when we walk through the gate."

"As you wish. Chloe, you want to ride, let people know I'm friendly?"

"Sure, sounds like fun anyways."

I helped Chloe back onto Storm before getting back up myself. The gate had been shut down on the other side so James reopened it and then we traveled through the gate to the other side.

Would the rest of the crew like Myst and Storm? And how do they react to hearing that the galaxy is populated by millions of people?

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_


	3. A New Home

**A New Home:**

_**Previously…**__Would the rest of the crew like Myst and Storm…_

**The Destiny:**

James and Varo were the first through the gate then went Scott and Grear and the looks on everyone's faces when Chloe wasn't with them was one of disappointment. But the four had turned back towards the gate which hadn't shut down yet and the rest of the crew understood why as Storm made his way through the gate. It had been sometime since the giant cat had been through the gate but you could see he was right at home with gate travel. When Storm was all the way through, he moved out of the way of the gate and the gate was shut down.

I jumped down first before turning back towards Storm and helped Chloe down. She was smiling as Eli was the first to move and hug her. I moved Storm off to the side and out of the way. The crew all but ignored me while they reunited with Chloe. The girl was being hugged by everyone and it brought a smile to my face. Storm had lain down and was resting his head on his paws when Chloe finally pulled away and walked towards me, grabbing my hand and pulling me back towards her friends.

**Discussions:**

"This is Myst and she saved my life back on the planet."

"Hi, everyone."

"Hello, I'm Colonel Young. I hate to say it but the cat needs to go back to the planet."

"He goes I go, but I really hope that's not the case. We've been stuck on that planet for three years and have been itching to get off since we crashed there. Besides, it wouldn't be fair."

"Fair? How would it not be fair?"

"Well I saved one of your people so you in return saved us. See, that's fair. Not kicking us off the minute you see Storm. That isn't fair. Besides, you could use my knowledge of this galaxy as well as the next four seeing as they are all populated by millions and millions of people."

"Every single planet has people on them?" _Grear asked._

"Well, not all of them. Some of them are not habitable, like the one we just came from, or as I like to call it: Dinoplenta."

"Dinoplenta? Any reason for that name?"

"Too many dinosaurs to my liking and almost all of them were carnivores. If there had been some herbivores then I wouldn't have minded, but the only herbivores I knew of wouldn't have been able to fit on this ship let alone through the gate."

"Too fat huh?" _Eli asked._

"No, just too tall. They were Brach's."

"Brach's?" _Varo asked._

"As in twenty foot tall Brachiosaurus, duh!"

"How long were you on that planet, Ms. Myst?" _Colonel Young asked._

"Oh god, please don't call me _Ms_. My name is Myst and that's all. I don't have a last name and even if I do, I don't remember what it is. And to answer your question, it has been almost three years. My transport shuttle crashed on the planet just under three years ago and Storm and I were the only ones to survive the crash so we made our home on the planet and since I knew that nobody would come rescue me, I lived my life by surviving."

"Why would no one come to rescue you? You never did tell me that part." _Chloe said._

"Maybe later, right now I want to get this food off of storm and somewhere where it won't rot and get settled down. Storm hasn't really run as much as he did today so he's a little tired."

"I can bet. Well why don't you follow Chloe and Scott to your quarters and we'll make room in the storage for the food that you brought with. You can bring it to the storage when you are done settling in."

"Thank you Colonel. For letting us stay and for allowing me some form of comfort."

"Like you said, it wouldn't have been fair to kick you off since you did technically save Chloe's life."

"Hey, you were listening!"

**Settling In:**

Chloe and Lt. Scott showed us where we would be able to sleep. We were given out own quarters because for one, nobody wanted to sleep with a giant prehistoric cat in their room and for two, they wanted to be able to keep an eye on us until they were willing to trust us. Chloe stayed a while longer to help me unpack my belongings from Storm. We left the raptors in the blankets and on Storm for the time being because I still needed to dissect the creatures so that the meat could be divided up. As we unpacked Storm, Chloe and I talked about stuff in general.

"You know, it's going to be great to have someone else my age on the ship."

"How old do you think I am Chloe?"

"Maybe in your early twenties…Am I wrong?"

"Just a little off; I'm more mid-twenties. I turned twenty-five last week. I actually thought I was going to be stuck on Dinoplenta for the rest of my life."

"Well, what about the people that had been traveling with you when you crashed?"

"I don't even want to talk about it. How about we talk about something else, say the fact that the crew is going to have plenty of fresh meat for a while?"

"Okay, but you're going to have to open up about your past eventually. So, other than meat, what else is a dead raptor good for?"

"Well, we can use their claws as a way to scrounge up food from the ground, their teeth are good for using as arrowheads, their skin is good for any kind of clothing or even rain cloaks since the hides are scaly. If we have a female raptor, then she most likely has eggs that can be harvested and they really do make one yummy omelet. And you can mount their heads as a sort of decoration."

"You would mount a raptor head for decoration?"

"Well back on the planet I only mounted their heads to ward off unwanted predators. It seemed to work, until it started to draw the larger carnivores so I had to stop that practice."

"I understand that part. Come on, we should get the raptors out of your room and dissected. Will you dissect them yourself?"

"Seeing as I'm the only one that knows how to dissect a raptor, it would probably be best. Besides, I don't mind."

Chloe and I left my room with Storm right behind us. Lt. Scott had been outside the door so he just showed us where I could dissect the raptors and then left to go find Grear. Chloe also left the area as she didn't want to see how to dissect a raptor but Varo and TJ showed up to either watch the dissection or to keep an eye on me.

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_


	4. Fresh Food

**Fresh Food:**

_**Previously…**__Chloe also left the area as she didn't want to see how to dissect a raptor but Varo and TJ showed up to either watch the dissection or to keep an eye on me…_

**Raptor Dissection:**

As I unwrapped the first raptor from the blanket, I realized that it was in fact a female. You can tell the difference from the females and males as the females are more of a lighter color and the males are of a darker color. I cut the female open near her abdomen and the blood came spurting out. I didn't mind, it wasn't the first time I had done this but it would most likely be the last. Putting the knife down, I reached into the cavity and pulled out an egg. I placed the egg in one of the containers that had been left for me to use. I continued to pull eggs out of the female and by the time I was done, there were fifteen eggs in all.

I moved on to cutting her open and pulling out the edible meat parts. Most of a raptor is pretty edible but there are certain areas like the stomach and intestines that don't taste too well even after they are cooked. I pulled out the organs and put them in the edible meat container. The inedible container held the stomach and intestines for now, later it would hold the head. I moved around the raptor, skinning it as I went. I would have to cure the skin before I could use it for anything but it wouldn't be as hard as it had been back on the planet.

Once the raptor was skinned and the skin was in a container, I moved to the claws and declawed the creature. Claws out and in the container with the skin, I moved to the teeth and started to extract them as well. It was about then that Varo spoke up.

"So, why are you taking parts of the creature that we can't eat?" _Varo asked._

"Just because you can't eat the teeth, claws or skin doesn't mean they aren't useful. The skins will make a nice waterproof outfit, the claws make great knives and the teeth make great arrowheads. We'll be able to use the bones as well."

"And what exactly do you used the bones for?" _TJ asked. _  
"I have carved them into forks, knives and even spoons. The kneecaps as well as the elbow bones make good cups and the skull makes a good bowl or whatever you want to use it for. As for the blood, it can be used to grow fruits and vegetables as well as the occasional fruit tree. I have seeds from Dinoplenta as well as from when I crashed that I hadn't used up."

"Well that explains a little, I think. So what are the eggs for? Are you going to raise your own carnivorous body guards?" _Colonel Young asked._

"Nope, it's another source of food. Please tell me you guys have eggs back wherever you come from."

"Yes just not as big or as prehistoric. You plan on making omelets with those eggs?" _Varo asked._

"Nope, but scrambled eggs will be fine. The eggs hadn't been laid yet so they are just embryos. And since they grow only in warmth, I figure put them somewhere cold and they won't be able to grow. One egg feeds about ten people; if you ration yourself otherwise the eggs will be eaten pretty fast."

"We'll try to ration ourselves on the egg eating. You almost done in here?"

"Yes, now that male and female have been stripped of everything, edible, inedible and useful."

"So why are the skulls in with the edible meats?"

"Raptor brains are quite delicious when you cook it the right way. And once the brains are out, the skulls can be used as bowls. I'll take the bones out later to make eating utensils. Just don't get rid of the carcasses and everything should be fine."

"Well as long as you have Storm watching the carcasses, it should be okay."

"Storm will pick off what I didn't and make sure the bones are licked clean by the time we get back. He'll also keep an eye on the container holding the unusable scraps of raptors."

**The Galley:**

Chloe was in the galley with Eli when Varo, TJ, Colonel Young & I walked in. I had the edible parts of the raptors and I needed to be able to cook up the meat before it went bad. As for the eggs, well I could always cook it inside the shells and then cut it up, doling the portions out that way. Chloe had a smile on her face when she saw me; that was until she saw the raptor skull in the box next to the eggs.

"You're not expecting us to eat the skull of the raptors are you?" _Chloe asked._

"Of course not, but the brains are pretty tasty once they are cooked up. As for the eggs, one will feed about ten people and there are twenty eggs in total so we should be good. Since these raptors are twice the size of a normal raptor, their eggs had to be bigger as well."

"Yea I'll say. From what our history books say, raptors were only about six feet tall or something like that. These ones were huge!" _Eli said._

"There's a lot about this galaxy that you will realize may be just like yours and something's that aren't anything like yours at all. It will get easier once I have a _Dictionary_ on hand. Once I have one of those, I can start showing you all about the different planets, which ones to avoid all together and which ones are friendly. It's easier once I find the _Dictionary_."

"What kind of dictionary are you talking about?" _James asked._

"It's electronic and the entire knowledge of the next four galaxies is in it. And it never needs to be charged because the batteries are solar powered, like most of the things on my home planet."

"Yea and what shall be the name of your home planet?" _Rush asked walking into the galley to see where everyone had gotten to._

"It's named Aphelion, after the _Ancients_ that settled there. The last _Ancient_ died about twenty years before I was born."

"It's surprising to know that after leaving Earth and the Pegasus Galaxy, the _Ancients_ were still able to survive for so much longer."

"You'd be surprised to hear the legends that run rampant on many of the planets. Aphelion has its own legends and rumors but nobody really thinks they are true. Varek, on the other hand, could tell you everything about the _Ancients_ as he is the direct descendent of the last _Ancient_. If it hadn't been for him, I…never mind. How about I start cooking, get some of this food cooked up so the meat doesn't spoil?"

"What were you about to say?" _Colonel Young asked._

"It's not important. But I do hope that we run into Varek one day. I would love to see him again."

With that, I headed over to Becker and he and I got to cooking the raptor meat as well as the brains, eggs and tongues. It took nearly an hour to cook all the food but by the time we were done, everyone could smell the food and they had gathered in the galley to eat some of it.

**A Feast:**

I doled out the egg portions as well as the rest of the meat, which had been mixed into a sort of stew with the brains and tongue mixed in as well so no one would really know what they were eating. It was funny to see so many people I hadn't known the day before acting as if I was part of their crew. I noticed Varo watching me the whole time and made a note to myself to ask Chloe what his story was. Once all the food was passed around, I grabbed a plate and went to sit next to Chloe, Eli and the rest of their friends. Talk ensued throughout the galley as everyone got down to eating.

"So, Myst, how many planets in this galaxy are friendly?" _Colonel Young asked._

"Well, there are thirty-five habited planets, three of which aren't friendly at all since they are the military planets. They control the military for this galaxy and link up with the other galaxies. If one galaxy is in trouble, the others head to them to help out in any way. As for the others, I don't really remember. I do know that a few of them aren't accustomed to having strangers around and can be hostile. There are a few where slavery is the norm. And then there are the central planets, they have just about everything you can think of. From medicine to knowledge to cooking schools to colleges for different trades and even a few libraries where the knowledge of the galaxy lies."

"Sounds like we should probably look into visiting the central planets then. Which planet is Aphelion? I mean is it with the central planets?" _Camille asked._

"No, Aphelion is with some of the outer planets. In fact we should be there in a week or two. There are a few planets between here and now that we can stop by and gather more supplies before we head to Aphelion. The raptor meat and eggs are only going to last so long and the more fresh food you have the better. Most of the outer planets depend highly on trade, so whatever you can offer to trade the better we are at getting what we need."

"So you think it's a good idea that you stay with us then?" _Grear asked._

"Of course, no offense but I don't need to go back to civilization. Besides, who will accept me with Storm tagging along?"

"She got a point Grear. Storm would either be locked up or he would have to stay with us and Myst can control him better than any of us since they basically grew up together." _TJ said._

"Well, we'll have to put it to a vote to see if everyone wants you to stay but it shouldn't be a problem. For now, this food was good so I might keep you in the kitchen with Becker, just for the time being, if that's alright with you. And Storm can sleep in your room, move about as much as he wants, though you will have to let us know how to react around him so no one gets hurt. And you have free range of the ship like the rest of us. If you think you can help in any way, just let us know." _Colonel Young said._

"Will do Colonel."

"Hey, do you mind telling us what meat of the raptor we ate tonight, cause that was really good?" _Scott asked._

"Trust me Lt. you don't want to know."

"Why not?" _James asked._

"Fine, I'll tell you. You ate most of the flank, some of the intestines, the tongue and the brains. Happy now? I think I better go get Storm settled for the night."

I left the galley as everyone looked out at me. Becker exploded in laughter as people pushed their food away, too disgusted to eat any more of it.

"Becker, was she telling the truth?"

"Everything except the intestines were in the stew. Don't look so surprised, you all liked it and it's what's on the men for tomorrow as well since we have plenty left over."

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_


	5. Learning The Truth

**Learning The Truth:**

_**Previously…**__Don't look so surprised, you all liked it and it's what's on the menu for tomorrow as well since we have plenty left over…_

**An Overheard Conversation**

Myst's Room:

Myst had headed to her room the night before and had taken with her all the inedible parts of the raptors but also useable. Storm had followed close behind not wanting to interfere in what the rest of the crew was doing. It was odd for the both of them to be in a ship this size; what with having to explain themselves to everyone they saw. But it wasn't as bad as one might think, it was definitely better than still being trapped on Dinoplenta that was for sure. She had set the box of usable raptor parts in the corner, farthest away from the bed and then the two had gotten some much needed sleep. It had been some time since Storm had run with everything packed on his back so he was just as tuckered out as Myst was.

The next morning saw Myst with her compartment door open, Storm still sleeping and Myst up and about trying to figure out how she was going to dry two raptor skins on an enclosed ship with little light. She set the two skins over the table in her quarters and decided to work on the bones she had scrapped last night from what remained of the carcasses. It was easier than trying to figure out what to do with the skins. That's about the time Chloe ventured into her room, wondering where she was and why she hadn't come to the galley for breakfast as she had a portion of egg with her.

"So, how'd you sleep?"

"Better than on the bed I made back on the planet, that's for sure."

"Yea, these beds sure are soft and comfortable. So what are you doing? Cause you missed breakfast. Becker gave me your portion and some meat for Storm and I came to bring them to you."

"Well thank you, but Storm is still sleeping, probably will be for the better part of the day. He's used to rations since most times it was too dangerous to venture out to hunt and all so last night's meal was kind of big for him."

"Well that's good to know I guess. So he'll be full for a while then?"

"Not necessarily. Big meals aren't a big thing for the two of us since we scrounged for most of our food when we couldn't eat. No more than likely he'll be more than ready to eat by the end of the week. So other than breakfast food what brings you by?"

"Well, you know, I didn't get to know you that well back on Dinoplenta with you saving my life and all and I kinda just wanted to talk, get to know you better."

"There's not much to tell."

"You can start with why you were in a transport ship headed away from you home world for starters."

"Guess I could start there."

"So why were you in a transport ship headed away from you home planet?"

"I was being transferred. It's kind of a long story, how do you say it…um…I forget the English word for it. Our word for it is _Kutchan_ (Horror). And story is story in any language." _Had we known that Mr. Brody was passing by outside I probably would have gone into further detail about my 'transfer'._

"Transferred huh? And why was that?"

"I really don't want to talk about it. I can tell you it was something that scared me for life. It was something that I vowed I would never go through again after the ship crashed. Can we please change the subject? Like how you and Lt. Scott kept eyeing each other at dinner last night when you thought nobody was looking."

"You saw that huh?"

"I'm a very _Shutu _(Observant) person."

"What's _Shutu_ mean?"

"It means observant. I guess I have never really talked this much because I was so used to talking to Storm that it didn't really matter how much I talked and when the danger became too much, we couldn't talk at all, let alone move the rock from the front of the cave lest one of the predators lurking outside decided they wanted me for a meal."

"Hm, well you haven't really talked that much about your life before the planet. I guess I really haven't told you much either. It's just we all got stranded out here, several billions of light-years away from Earth and everything just got complicated. We've been looking for a way back home ever since."

"Yes, _destiny_ has a tendency to throw a curve ball every now and then into one's life but you just have to get used to your new predicaments and move on."

"Very fortune cookie of you."

"Fortune what?"

"It's a cookie we have back on Earth. You break it in half, pull out a piece of paper and read what the piece of paper says. It's a fortune; it's supposed to tell you something good."

"You mean like a _Crotune porcay_ (Good luck charm)."

"You really need to stop using your language, I can't understand you."

"Will it help if I use my language and also write down the words I am saying so that you will have a dictionary to look at?"

"That would work. Come on, TJ wanted to give you the look-over to see if you are really okay. She gave me a look-over when I got back on Destiny yesterday but you were too busy for her to take a good look at you. Colonel Young would probably like to know if you are in good health."

We stood up and headed for the Infirmary, leaving Storm to continue sleeping. I shut the compartment door so he wouldn't be able to get out and come looking for me and then we left. As we made our way to the Infirmary, both Chloe and I started to get weird glances from the rest of the crew as if I was some sort of plague or something. We dismissed it as my being new on the ship.

**The Rumor:**

After TJ had successfully examined me without much squirming, she announced that I was fit and healthy. She had noticed the few scars on my body that seemed to be older than three years and when she asked about them I just told her I was clumsy as a child. She took the answer but could tell that I didn't want to talk about those scars. She didn't press the matter and Chloe and I headed for the Observation Deck where Eli, Scott, James, Varo and Grear were waiting. I had brought from my compartment a bag with some sewing equipment, boring needles and carving tools. There were also some bones from the raptors in the bag as well as some teeth from one of the sharks I had managed to kill two weeks before.

We sat on the couch and I sat the bag on the table and started to go through it. When Chloe's friends came over, they could tell that I was hastily trying to put some things together but couldn't tell what they were.

"Hey Chloe, can we talk to you for a few minutes? Hey Myst." _Scott said._

"Hi, go ahead Chloe; I need to get these utensils made up before tonight so I'll be pretty busy."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, go, I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll be back, might even stop by your compartment and get Storm so he can sleep out here near you."

"Okay, just be careful when you wake him. There is a walking stick by the door, poke him with it and be out of the way or you'll get swiped. He's swiped me a few times when he didn't want to wake up. You might want to talk to him as well, just to let him know that a friend is near."

"Good to know, I'll be back."

I went back to carving one of the small bones into a needle. I would puncture a hole in it later once the needle was small enough. It was to be a large bore needle which I could use to sew the raptor skins since the needles I had wouldn't puncture the skin as I had never been able to kill any raptors while living on Dinoplenta. I basically ignored everyone that was in the room and concentrated instead on carving the many utensils I had in mind for the bones.

_Meanwhile…_Chloe followed Scott, Eli and the group to the galley where Brody and a few other key members of the crew were waiting.

"Eli, what's going on?"

"Brody overheard you and Myst talking earlier and we're trying to stop a rumor before it starts."

"What did you overhear us talking about Brody?"

"You asked Myst why she was on the transport ship and she said that she was being transferred somewhere. That's all I heard but it can't be anywhere good since we all know that most transfers happen to be because of criminals."

"We don't know that she is a criminal. Besides, if she was a criminal, do you think she would have saved my life back on Dinoplenta? It's common sense Brody."

"She could have done that to get out of whatever sentence they had deemed fit for. That transport ship of hers probably didn't crash there. She was probably dropped off as some sort of punishment for something." _James said._

"So you think just because she told you something, it's not true?"

"What do you really know about her Chloe?" _Eli asked._

"Her home planet is Aphelion and she was clumsy as a kid but most kids are."

"What do you mean clumsy?"

"TJ found a bunch of scars on her that were older than the planet and when she asked Myst about them she shrugged it off to being clumsy as a kid. It's like she didn't want to talk about it."

"Is that all?" _Colonel Young asked._

"That's all, now if you don't mind I need to go bring Storm to Myst so that he doesn't freak out and tear up her room."

With that Chloe left the room, kind of mad that they had drug her away from her new friend to confront her about something Brody had overheard. When she got to Myst's room, Storm was already awake and wondering where his friend had gotten to. She opened the door and Storm followed her to the Observation Deck. When he saw Myst, he went and lay down next to her before falling back to sleep. The previous day had obviously been too much for him, anybody could tell that. Chloe went back to the couch and sat down getting a look from Myst at the same time.

**The Truth:**

"Hey, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"About why you were being transferred. Brody overheard us talking this morning and well he thinks you are a criminal. Now I did try to defend you but he heard that you said you were being transferred and well he now thinks you are a criminal and well, I don't want it to become a full-blown rumor and all."

"I figured someone would overhear us but I didn't think anything bad would come out of it. You have to understand Chloe that that part of my life is over; I don't ever want to become one of the _Storku_ (Enslaved) again. It was hard for me to understand at such a young age and now that I'm older, I don't ever want to become one again."

"Okay, but what does _Storku_ mean?" _Chloe asked as her friends and some of the other crew members that had been in the galley walked in. those that had already been on the Observation Deck were already listening and I was starting to feel a little self-conscious._

"It basically means _Enslaved_ or _Slavery_. That's right your grand ol' rescuer was a slave before her transport ship crashed. And the only reason I was on that ship to begin with was because my old master lost me in a _Sabretite_ (saber fight). Basically he bet on his saber to win the fight and used me as collateral not thinking he would lose. Well his saber died and the winner claimed me as his own. Though he was considerably nicer than my old master. After the crash, he said that if I was ever found, that I would be free to live my life however I wanted. That he had only won so that he could free me. Apparently, as part of his job as a _Sabrekey_ (Saber Patrol Rider), the specialists in the military that used saber mounts as fighters in _Sabretite's_ (saber fights). The sole purpose of winning _Sabretite's_ was to free the slaves that were put up as bets. Storm is only three years old, the man that had won me had bought him from a seller when he was only a month old and was transporting him back to his home as a present for his daughter. He asked me, that if I should ever meet his wife, that I give her the message that I was free and that he loved her and his daughter more than anything in life. I have his _Vidoa_ (last words recorded before death) in one of my satchels to give to her if I ever do meet her."

"That was a long explanation but I think we understand a little better now that you've actually told us the truth." _Grear said._

"Yea, which is why if and when we get to Aphelion, I'm staying on the ship so that there is no way my old master will be able to find me again and make me his slave again. Worst time of my life, that's for sure."

"Is that where you got your scars from?" _TJ asked._

_I hesitated before nodding and answering the young medic._ "Yes, he would sometimes beat me just for the fun of it and he would invite his friends over to beat me as well. Look, um…I think I've said enough for now. Storm and I are gonna go back to our room and I will finish this up there. It'll be easier without everyone looking at me every time I look up and all."

With that I left the area and Storm followed me back to the room where I closed the door and got back to work. I didn't need nor did I want any more distractions for the day. I could do without food for a day as well.

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_

**Vocabulary (in order of appearance):**

**Shutu:** Observant

**Crotune porcay:** Good luck charm

**Storku:** Enslaved or slavery

**Sabretite:** Saber fight

**Sabretite's:** Saber fights

**Vidoa:** Last words recorded before death


	6. Event Horizon

**Event Horizon:**

_**Previously…**__I could do without food for a day as well…_

**A World of Beauty:**

It was another three days before Destiny dropped out of FTL at one of the outer planets. After Myst basically old the whole crew that she had been a slave that had been won by a guy that wanted to free her, they had gone back to being nice to her. It was weird to think that if she hadn't told them all that then she would probably have been let off on the first habitable planet that they had stopped at. But now that the Destiny was in a habited galaxy, every time it dropped out of FTL, the countdown clock showed 2-3 days before it would jump back into FTL and be on its way to the next habited planet.

When Destiny dropped out of FTL, Chloe and I walked into the gate room to see where we were at. Eli had a Kino and the gate had just been activated. Storm sat on his haunches waiting to see if we were going through or not as Chloe and I went to stand near Eli who had just sent the Kino through.

"So it looks nice and all; doesn't look like it's inhabited though."

"I remember this place. It's called_ Florineta_ since it's known for its medicinal flowers, plants and herbs. Most of the medical personnel have to spend a year here in order to get to know what kinds of plants they will be using in order to cure the patients they'll be seeing. There is a medical facility in the middle of the continent where all the personnel live and study. They should have any medical plants and seeds that will be needed to stay onboard Destiny."

"Guess it is a good thing we decided to let you stay on board then."

"Florineta is one of the many vocational destinations as well since there are beautiful waterfalls and floating islands that have small cabins on them for those that really want to get out and enjoy the nature that surrounds them. There are even a few _Sabrekey_ (Saber Patrol Riders) groups that have made Florineta their home so that the people visiting and temporarily staying here. They should be able to tell us which worlds are okay to travel to or not. If Storm and I go through, word will spread that a _Sabrekey_ has come through with friends and then the others will come and we can talk to them about what we need for the ship and what we could possibly trade."

"Definitely a bunch of information now. But won't your old master know you are alive if you venture off Destiny?" _Camille asked._

"He never ventured out this way and most _Sabrekey's_ hate slavers so they tend to stay away from them. Though I don't know anyone that isn't a _Sabrekey_ who rides a Sabertooth. I'm the only 'civilian' that rides a Sabertooth so I don't know how they will react when I tell them that I am not a _Sabrekey_."

"Well, Lt. Scott, get a team together. We need to explore this planet as much as we can. How long on the countdown Rush?" _Colonel Young said._

"That's the weird thing about this."

"What?"

"The clock says we have almost three days to explore the planet."

"Maybe it senses that it's in a habited galaxy and wants us to explore all we can and communicate with as many of the people as possible. Maybe there will be a planet like Icarus out there somewhere in one of the galaxies if not in this one."

"Well that's a valid point."

"Alright, get a team on that planet. If we need to use the shuttles then we will. TJ, you might as well go with them."

"And we can use Storm to bring anything back that we trade with. I have a few things that I can get rid of if you need something to trade with. And I'm sure you can get some weapons and ammo as well. The military in this galaxy don't use bullets with their guns, more like plasma. Most of the weapons use plasma to do some damage."

"Again, good to know. The two of you want to go with don't you?" _Colonel Young finished, asking Chloe and Eli who had smiled on their faces. _

"Yes please. And we can help Myst in any way we can. Storm will want to explore, maybe and Myst can stay with us."

"Okay, but maybe we should get her into some actual clothes, no offense, but it might be better if it looked like you were dressed."

"No offense taken. These are my Dinoplenta clothes and whatever I could salvage from the crash. I could go with some new clothes anyways."

"Well then, since you and I are about the same height you can borrow some of mine until we either make you some new clothes or we buy/trade for some new clothes." _Chloe said._

"Well, if I'm correct, Florineta has a good tailor shop within the campus so that the participants and guests can buy some new clothes or have some made."

"Well there you go. Maybe we should bring some items we could trade, say like some of your clothes you don't fit into anymore and you can get a new wardrobe."

"Sounds like a good idea. How about we meet back here in about twenty minutes after everyone has packed and Myst is on Storm?" _Colonel Young stated._

"Got it!"

Everyone headed off in separate directions and twenty minutes later everyone was back with everything they wanted to bring with. Both Myst & Chloe were up on Storm ready to go with two bags. Chloe had her backpack on and Myst had tied a bag full of her stuff onto the back of the saddle that she had made for Storm so it would be easier to ride him.

Florineta:

The gate was activated once again and the group went through with Storm in the lead. The Kino was still hovering next to the gate after the gate had deactivated so Eli just took the remote and used it to look around and it followed the group as they went. Chloe wasn't really hanging on or anything, since the saddle was actually a two person saddle. Myst had made it a two person saddle so whatever she needed to put on Storm wouldn't really fall off.

As they made their way away from the Stargate and towards whatever Campus Myst had talked about, all got the feeling that they were being watched and not in a bad creepy way but still in a not so good way. Chloe nudged Myst as if to ask her if she felt the same way.

"Don't worry Chloe, it's just the _Florine's_ (living flowers) they guard the Campus from any imminent threat. If they had sensed we were a threat, then we wouldn't have been able to move away from the gate. They will let any _Sabrekey_ in the area know that visitors are here and we will be met by them first."

"Well that makes me feel a little better. So what does the _Florine's_ look like?"

"They are the giant flowers with the teeth."

"Oh, you mean the prehistoric fly traps?"

"Yes, those would be the ones."

"Hey what are you two talking about up there?" _Grear asked coming up._

"Just about the _Florine's_, the flowers that watch us at the moment and will alert the _Sabrekey_ that we are here and they will meet up with us first."

"Well at least we will be greeted. But maybe we should stay a little closer to you since you know all the names for this world as well as the language."

"That would be fine; might want to tell the laggers to hurry up then."

As we waited for the others to hurry up and join us, a group of _Sabrekey_ showed up. Their weapons were holstered which was a good sign but you could tell that they didn't like seeing another Sabertooth that didn't obviously belong to a _Sabrekey_ that they might know. The man that had won me to free me had sent his Sabertooth ahead with his platoon so that he could buy the saber cub and transport it back with me. When everyone was next to Storm, Scott, Grear & TJ held out their hands to the men in front of them and started with a greeting, unfortunately the men didn't understand them so I dismounted from Storm and translated for them.

"Kroupa chal'ka totruta. Kroupa achee totruta taltusfa lakte fay tutra. Dakk ool vate ahsee fay tutra (We come in peace. We are peaceful travelers looking to trade. Do you have anything to trade)?" _I asked._

"Di cocoba Sabrekey (Yes of course Saber Rider)?"

"Akka cho yourt numrat co-Sabrekey (What is your name fellow Saber Rider)?"

"Nukk'ra cho numrat atch yourt Nukk'ra is my name and yours)?"

"Myst cho numrat atch tut achee mit commardes (Myst is my name and these are my commardes). Dakk ya spake Inglishi (Do you speak English)?"

"Ah, your comrades do not speak our language. Then we shall speak there's. We speak English fine but tend to move into Krochan language amongst ourselves. The Sabrekey of Florineta welcome you travelers to the galaxy of Krocha. Your companion here can translate for us what we want to say if we do not know the English word. She obviously has spent much time talking English as we don't get that many visitors that do not speak Krochan."

"Myst has told us that this world is known for its medicines. My name Lt. Johanson and I'm a medic from the ship we arrived on. Would you be willing to trade for some medicines that we need desperately?" _TJ said._

"That will be up to Klut'ane, she is the main doctor here but if you need _medicinal's_ that you can't get from your home world then she most likely would be willing to let you take some sapling's with you in order for you to grow your own medicine. She might also give you some seeds to grow your own. You will have to tell her what kind of herbs and medicinal's you need and she will know how much to give you. Now, Myst is it? How did you come upon your Sabertooth?"

"We crashed together. The man that won me and gave me my freedom died in the crash and told me to raise the cat as if he were my own. We have been together for three years. If it hadn't been for my friends here, I wouldn't be here right now and you wouldn't have let them venture onto Florineta at all."

"Well then I thank your friends for saving you. Now, about the man the freed you, do you by any chance remember his name?"

"His name was…let me think…ah yes, Kut'rat'a, his wife was Kut'ra and his daughter was Eterna. I have his Vidoa with me if you would be able to send it to his family that would be greatly appreciated. I promised him I would give it to them in person but I don't think I will be headed their way any time soon."

"No need, you can give it to them yourself. I am Kut'rat'a's brother-in-law. He married my sister and when he failed to show up three years ago, Kut'ra moved to Florineta so to be near me and I could help her raise her daughter. Eterna is a student at the Campus. She will be glad to know that her father was not alone when he died, though where he died will have to be told to them and they will most likely want to see the Vidoa."

"No problem. I knew that there would be some Sabrekey's here so I brought the Vidoa along just in case I had to send it via Mila-Shuttle. Can we take some food back with us as well as some fresh water? The ship is old and they need as much as they can get."

"No problem. I will have my men collect the fruits, vegetables and water and it will be ready for when you leave tonight. Sorry to say, we are an all veggie planet, there isn't that much meat around and the Sabers are too significant to be killed."

"No problem. At the moment we have enough meat anyways. The planet they rescued Storm and I from was one with dinosaurs on it. I called it Dinoplenta because I didn't know the real name of it. Anyways, I killed two raptors and saved some of these soldiers here and they let me stay with them. I haven't been to many of the worlds in nearly three years, but we were wondering which ones were safe to go to and which ones weren't."

"Well we can give you a map. It'll be up to that ship of yours if it wants to stop or not."

"Thank you Commander Nukk'ra."

"How did you know I was a Commander?"

"You said you would get your men to take care of gathering the food and water. If you were not a Commander, you would have said 'my men and I'."

"Smart girl; alright, let's get to the Campus and get you settled in to start collecting what you need. I will bring Eterna and Kut'ra to you in a few hours, after you've had time to look around and do any trading."

With that we ventured to the Campus where Commander Nukk'ra left us and headed with his men out to the fields and wherever they kept their fresh water. As soon as we were at the Campus, Klut'ane introduced herself and said that she spoke English and she and TJ went off to the medicinal garden with James and Camille. Chloe and I headed for the tailor shop where we met a woman by the name of Kli'ta, who just so happened to be Klu'tane's daughter. We were able to trade some of my clothes that no longer fit for two pairs of saber skin sweats, four shirts made out of bear fur, a pair of shoes, a pair of work boots, a coat multi-durable coat made out of the skin of a _Cluta_ (like a cow). We also traded for some sewing material as well as a bucket of socks and underwear, for everyone of course.

As soon as we were done trading, Kli'ta followed us out to Storm and we loaded him up. Scott, Grear, Varo and Eli were still standing in front of the Campus, only they were talking amongst themselves. When TJ, James and Camille came back with Klut'ane, they had buckets full of not only herbal & medicinal plants but also seeds that would grow into what they needed. Klut'ane had also given TJ the cure to her disease (ALS or Lugherig***** Disease). They had the cure for many other diseases known on Earth as well as those that ran rampant in the Krocha Galaxy.

As they packed the bins up on Storm, Commander Nukk'ra came back from gathering our supplies with a woman and her teenage daughter. I climbed back up on Storm and pulled out Kut'rat'a's Vidoa and then jumped back down. We would have to walk back to the gate now that Storm was loaded up with everything we had traded for. TJ also had a book explaining the different uses of the herbs and medicinal's she had managed to get, something that would come in handy if they ever needed to know something about the plant they were using.

"Myst, this is Kut'ra and her daughter Eterna. Kut'ra, this is the girl I was telling you about. She was with Kut'rat'a when he died."

"Welcome to Florineta Myst. Please show me what my husband left in your care."

"He asked me to give this to you if ever I passed your way. He said that he loves the both of you but he knew that he wouldn't survive very long so I recorded his Vidoa to give to you if ever I met you in person. Here you go." _I said as I handed her husband's Vidoa over to her and she took it from my hands._

"Thank you for this. My daughter and I have always wondered what happened to him. His Sabertooth Rage was given back to us as it is our sole means of transportation now. But I see you kept the one he was transporting back with you. He said that he had just won a slave whom he was planning on setting free after transporting her and a Sabertooth cub back to our home. He was going to make you a part of our family. But now I see you have friends of your own. He would however, wanted you to have something to remember him by, other than your Sabertooth. Eterna has brought one of our dictionaries for you to use as Nukk'ra told us you travel with people not of this galaxy. You can teach them our customs, our language and whatever suits your liking. As well as the dictionary, we give you a _Stritu_ (domed portable beehive). This way you will be able to sweeten anything you like."

"Thank you very much. I know my friends will enjoy it very much."

"We will be accompanying you to the gate as we will be helping load your Sabertooth up with all the food and water so that he may go first and then you and your friends can go last with any excess that doesn't fit on him. By the way, what is your Sabertooth's name?"

"I named him Storm, after the storm that crashed the shuttle Kut'rat'a, the cub and I were traveling in. It was the only way I could remember Kut'rat'a."

"Storm, a fitting name for a saber. Know that Rage will always have a brother if you should need a helping hand."

"Thank you very kindly Kut'ra."

As we reached the gate, Eli took the remote out of his pocket and activated the gate back to Destiny. We loaded Storm up with as much of the food that we cared to without hurting him. We would carry the water through the gate ourselves as it would take several trips back and forth to get all the water that had been collected.

"As promised," _Nukk'ra began_, "I have a map for you and your friends. It will let you know which planet is safe and which is not. Also, the containers the food is in is yours to do with what you wish. We only ask that you try and sell the baskets at any planet you stop near and tell the locals where they can get more. As for the water, it has come from one of our most proficient waterfalls in the _Qutar_ Mountains. The containers the water is in can be used to store many things. Among the food, we figured your people would want some seeds and have thrown those in as well."

"Thank you Nukk'ra for helping us in this way. Destiny will be in orbit for another day or so, so we might be back down here to enjoy the nature that Florineta provides."

"You are welcome. You will always be with us, sweet Myst. We keep word of your travel as quiet as possible, don't want your old Master to know that you are still alive and all. When Kut'rat'a's shuttle went missing, the two of you were declared dead and I think he may have even bought a new slave, but I do know that he coveted you for some reason or another. He comes to Florineta every now and then to gather supplies for his compound. If he stops by here while you are still here, send a friend before coming. He is due to stop by in a few days, but he may come earlier than usual."

"Thank you for the information Nukk'ra. We will keep her onboard Destiny with all the organizing that needs to be done now. And we might bring a shuttle down to some or your floating mountains that Myst has told us about." _Scott said._

"If you take the shuttle, know that her Master won't be able to get to the floating mountains since he does not own a shuttle. He travels only by the gate, as most of the people in this galaxy do."

"We will keep that in mind." _Grear said._

Once the gate was activated, I took the Map that Nukk'ra had brought and walked through the gate with Storm behind me. Everything that I had brought to trade was now in the Tailor shop and I had enough clothes to last a while. Once on the other side of the gate, I moved Storm to the galley so that we could unload the food and then told Colonel Young that we would have to make multiple trips through the gate to get the rest.

"What do you mean by 'rest' Myst?"

"Commander Nukk'ra has supplied us with fresh water. There are gallons of it waiting by the gate to be brought back to the ship. Storm was loaded up with most of the food and the stuff we had traded for at the Campus so we couldn't bring it back on him. There aren't enough of us on the planet to bring it all back together."

"Can't you ask Commander Nukk'ra to have his men help with their Sabertooth's?"

"They have helped enough. Besides they gave us all this food for nothing. They only ask that we try and sell the baskets on any planet we stop at."

"Well I don't think we have much of a choice now. Seems the Commander has thought the same thing and has his men helping out in any way possible. Storm isn't the only Sabertooth on Destiny at the moment."

"Well, then there is your answer."

With the help of Commander Nukk'ra and his men we were able to get all the water loaded in only two trips through the gate. Once everything was put away, we bid farewell to Commander Nukk'ra and his men as they had some business to attend to on Florineta and they said they probably wouldn't see us any time soon. He did say that he would give orders to all that lived on Florineta that my arrival on the planet was to be kept under wraps should my old Master venture through any time soon. I thanked him for that and he left us to store everything away.

**A World of Hate:**

After we left Florineta, three days after Destiny dropped out of FTL, we dropped out of FTL near a world that according to the Map was called _Hortate_. Hortate was something of a weird planet. I looked it up in the dictionary as I had never heard of the planet before and found out that it had just recently been settled by all the racists in the galaxy. It was a planet we didn't visit much. We were only in orbit for about a day and a half before we left. Most of us couldn't go to the planet anyways because the people on the planet would have attacked us for not being of the same religion, color or community. We went back into FTL within a few hours.

**A World of Slavery:**

Once we had left behind Hortate, we dropped out of FTL two days later near the planet of _Crotate_, also known as the planet where all slaves are raised, bred, trained and sold. It was a planet I refused to set foot on lest my old Master be on it and find me and drag me off to be a slave again. I did know that most of the people I knew as slaves one time or another had lived on Crotate. I had never had the pleasure of living on the planet myself as my Master had bought me at an early age, but I still knew people that did live there and they said you had to fight to stay alive, fight for food and water and fight to just keep a little bit of your dignity.

The soldiers were the only ones that went to the planet and when they came back, they had enough weapons and ammo to last for a while. We left Crotate almost as fast as we had gotten there. It was a world that made my skin crawl and every time I passed by the gate I would hurry past it as if something was going to come through it, grab me and drag me back to slavery.

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_

***Don't know if this is the right spelling, my internet wasn't working properly so couldn't look it up.***

**Vocabulary (in order of appearance):**

**Florineta:** Medical Communities medicinal college

**Sabrekey's:** Saber Patrol Riders

**Florine's:** Living flowers; otherwise known as giant fly traps (the flowers that look like they have a bunch of teeth when they open their mouths)

**Kroupa:** We

**Chal'ka:** Come

**Totruta:** In peace; peaceful

**Achee:** Are

**Taltusfa:** Travelers

**Lakte:** Looking

**Fay:** For/To

**Tutra:** Trade

**Dakk:** Do

**Ool:** You

**Vate:** Have**  
Ahsee:** Anything

**Di:** Yes

**Cocoba:** Of course

**Do:** No

**Akko:** What

**Cho:** Is

**Yourt:** Your

**Numrat:** Name

**Co-:** Fellow

**Atch:** And

**Commardes:** Comrades

**Tut:** These

**Mit:** My

**Ya:** You

**Spake:** Speak

**Inglishi:** English

**Medicinal's:** Medicine's

**Mila-Shuttle:** The equivalent to a post man but in a space cargo ship

**Cluta:** Part cow, part water buffalo. The skin is used to make clothes while the meat is used for food and the milk is used to drink as well as make butter and whatever else is needed. The blood fertilizes the ground to grow crops.

**Stritu:** A domed portable beehive that automatically collects the honey and deposits it in the bottom of the dome where the bees can't get to it; fresh honey every seven days.

**Qutar:** Waterfall Mountains, also within the floating islands [KOO-tar]

**Hortate:** Where all the racists in the galaxy have converged to live [HOR-t-ate]

**Crotate:** Where all the slaves are raised, bred, sold and trained [CROW-t-ate]

**Names (in order of appearance):**

**Nukk'ra:** NUKE-rah

**Klut'ane:** CLUE-t-ay-n

**Kut'rat'a:** KOO-t-rat-ah

**Kut'ra:** KOO-t-rah

**Eterna:** EH-turn-ah

**Kli'ta:** K-lee-tah


	7. Myst's Home World

**Myst's Home World:**

_**Previously…**__It was a world that made my skin crawl and every time I passed by the gate I would hurry past it as if something was going to come through it, grab me and drag me back to slavery..._

**Aphelion:**

After leaving behind Hortate and Crotate, we didn't drop out of FTL for another two weeks. According to the Map, all the planets between Crotate and Aphelion were all inhabitable, molten rock. Nukk'ra had mentioned a planet just before Aphelion, where the surface of the planet had started to become habitable but it would be a long time before any humans would be able to live on the planet so we hadn't stopped to see it or anything. And as much as I didn't want to go down to Aphelion, I knew that I had to. My parents were down there and hopefully I had sisters and brothers that I didn't know about. If I did, I didn't know if I would be able to leave again, but I knew that I would have to since my old Master lived on Aphelion.

The gate was located on the outer edge of the main city, a bustling pre-modern city with buildings in construction. When a Kino was sent through, we saw that there were armed Sabrekey's standing next to the gate so we knew that we would also have to go armed. Through using the Kino, Eli showed me how to talk through it and I was able to communicate that we were peaceful and that we came for trade. They seemed to take the answer and said back that an _Orphelia_ (like a farmer's market) would be open for the next few days and they were allowed to trade within the market only. I thanked him and said we would be down shortly.

I changed into some more comfortable clothing and strapped a raptor bone knife to my belt, hidden underneath a jacket lent to me by Colonel Young as he said I would need it to blend in better with the soldiers going with us so that no one would recognize me. I thanked him for it and made sure that I was wearing a comfortable shoe before Grear and I mounted Storm. It was better if a soldier was riding with me so no one thought I was alone as I explained this to Sgt. Grear who seemed to understand. I was going home; there was no need to lose me as well.

**Going Home:**

Once the gate was activated and everyone that was going was on the other side of the gate, we headed for the Orphelia to trade and sell what we had packed Storm with. Chloe and Eli followed as closely as possible, not wanting to be out of my sight just in case I recognized anyone that I knew. The Kino was hovering just over Eli's right shoulder as he wanted to record everything we saw. It was easier to know who we could trust and the only way to do that was to come in contact with them ourselves. I hoped that I would be able to see my parents and _Jinga_ (God) only hoped that if I did, they wouldn't run to my old Master and tell him that I was back and alive, unlike what the reports had said.

I gripped Storm's saddle as we moved into the Orphelia. I wasn't going to be yanked off of him if I could stand it. Grear was behind me, gun in hand and kind of holding on. Storm had gotten used to having more than just me on his back in the short time we had been on Destiny. It was easier to always have a Sabertooth as a guard than just armed soldiers who were still getting used to the weaponry that they had traded for. I was helping them get used to is, but you could only do so much on an enclosed space ship with no firing range. What we needed was a wide open space to practice and according the Map, we would have that space once we hit the next couple planets or so, since there weren't that many people living on the next few ones. The Map, which just didn't give us the names and locations of the planet, also told us if it was inhabited or not but as well as the demographic area of the planet. Being that the Map was holographic, one only had to touch the planet they wanted to learn about and it would zoom up and you would know all there was to know about the planet you might be stopping near.

Having spent nearly my whole life on Aphelion, I guided Storm into the Orphelia and dismounted. Grear also dismounted and I grabbed some of the baskets from Storm's back and then Eli, Chloe, Grear and I headed off in one direction as the others headed off in another. Varo, James, Scott, Brody and Volker headed with Storm in the opposite direction as we did, needing to get some supplies as well as see what there was to offer on this planet.

Shopping:

When we got to where we were going I turned to the table and pointed at what we needed, asking if we could trade.

"Tutra (trade)?" _I asked the lady behind the table full of sugar and deserts._

"Di tutra; wolch dakk ya neita (Yes trade; what do you need)?" _the lady asked in a heavy accent that made me think she was from the southern province._

"Ehtcha por meela atch bracha (Sweetener for meals and drinks). Dakk ya vate (Do you have)?"

"Di vate (Yes have). Zeyla wolch vate (Show what have)."

"Cocoba (Of course)."

We showed them what we had and an exchange was made. We ended up leaving with four pies plus the recipes to make them, enough sugar to last four months (if rationed well) and some three jars honey (since it would be some time before the Stritu was ready to harvest). We thank the woman and moved on. She had a smile on her face that reminded me a little bit of my mother but I pushed it out of my mind. I had to focus on our trading. Chloe had other thoughts though.

"So, that seemed to go well." _Chloe said._

"It went the way I thought it would. Though I'm thinking we should have brought Storm with us since we will have to carry this all back with us."

"Doesn't look like we have to turn around; looks like Storm missed being around you. Here comes James with Storm now." _Eli said pointing to the pair making their way over with Storm's saddle ladened with traded items._

"Oh thank god we found you. I don't know how you were able to live here with all this havoc." _James said as she came up on us._

"You get used to it. So you came to give us a hand or what?"

"Well we were done with our trading. We found a few people that spoke English and were able to trade for a fair price. We were going to sell some of the baskets but we needed them to pack Storm with. How'd you guys get along?"

"We did okay. We have four pies and the recipes that go along with them so we can cook them again, enough sugar to last a few months and three jars of honey."

"Honey, why would we need honey when Kut'ra gave you that Stritu for us to have honey?"

"The Stritu won't be ready for another seven days as it was already harvested before it was given to me. This should last till then and then some. It'll flavor just about anything you want."

"Okay, so let's load Storm up and get going." _Grear said._

"You guys load Storm up; I want to show Chloe and Eli the _Untrea dreat_ (Music festival)."

"Well we need to wait for the others because I'm pretty sure they wanted to see it as well. One of the men we traded with told us about it and I was told to come find you, get Storm loaded up and then wait with you till they caught up before we headed into the festival."

"Sounds like a plan. Mind coming with me for a few minutes. I need to get some paper booklets and some writing utensils. If I'm going to be cooking on that ship I'm going to need some good recipes to go along with it. The same person that sells the paper booklets and writing utensils should also have cookbooks as well. Come on."

We headed to another table and I selected the booklets and writing utensils that I wanted, found a cookbook with most of the foods that we had on the ship in the ingredients and a basket for it. When we were done, I returned to the rest of the group, which had been joined by Varo, Scott, Brody and Volker, put the booklets, cookbook and writing utensils in a basket with the honey, sugar and pies and then our group headed for the festival.

"You guys are going to love this. It's got music from all over and it even has some good dancers as well, though most of them used to be slaves until they won their xanchor (freedom) by dancing for the royalty that sometimes likes to show up. I was never that good of a dancer so I wasn't able to win my freedom that way."

"Well then we might as well enjoy it for an hour or so before we leave. We need to be back on the ship in three hours."

"Destiny isn't supposed to leave Aphelion for another three days."

"Yes but the Colonel doesn't want us spending the night down here."

"Good point. Here we are."

Untrea Dreat: Musical & Dance Festival:

When they saw how big the festival was, all mouths dropped open and I started laughing, not realizing that there was someone watching us. We had been watched since the moment we stepped through the gate. We knew that the Sabrekey were always around, but this person had a special interest in us as he knew _exactly_ who I was. Chloe, Eli and I went off by ourselves, promising to be back within the hour. Storm stayed near the entrance as he was our root point so we would know where to find everyone else. Varo and James went off to explore by themselves while Scott, Grear, Brody and Volker stayed near Storm and just watched the performances. The four men didn't want to leave Storm lest someone try and steal what they had traded for. They didn't know anyone on Aphelion, only Myst did and she had gone off to show Chloe and Eli something further into the festival than the four wanted to travel. James and Varo had said that they would keep an eye on the three now that they had become close friends.

Myst had basically told Chloe and Eli that before she was a slave, her parents had brought her to the festival every year, hoping that she would become a brilliant dancer and never have to know the hardships that they'd had to live through. She told them that they had tried to see her on many occasions but that her old Master had prevented them, threating her life had they seen her. So she had never known what had become of her parents since she was never allowed to see them. She hoped that they still didn't live in the same quarter of houses that they had lived in while she was still with them but knew that they probably were. Once you moved into the slave quarters, you never really got out.

Though my parents weren't slaves themselves, if you had a family member that was a slave, you were forced to move into the slave quarters until the family member was no longer a slave. Since I had technically been freed three years ago, they could have quite possibly moved out of the slave quarters and were possibly now prosperous with their lives. She kept turning around looking everywhere. She could sense that someone unwanted was watching her and her friends and she didn't like it.

"Guys, maybe we should go find James and Varo. I have an uneasy feeling and I don't like it."

"What's wrong?" _Eli asked as he saw the concern on my face._

"I feel like someone is watching me and it isn't the Sabrekey."

"Then let's go find James and Varo. They will be able to keep us safer than being out by ourselves."

**A Master Returns:**

As we headed to find James and Varo, my uneasy feeling grew into full terror. We were practically running by the time we spotted them but it was too late and I knew it. I felt someone grab my arm and let out the loudest shriek I had ever been able to manage.

"AHHHHH!" _I screamed as Eli and Chloe turned around and James and Varo headed in our direction._

"You're all mine now! I knew you couldn't be dead. They will never find you again!"

"Let her go!"

"Stay out of this. This concerns none of you. This bitch is a slave. She ran away from me and now she will pay for her crimes!" _Storm and our other four companions arrived just as Mak'ro fired into the crowd making everyone run for their lives. When the crowd had cleared and the Sabrekey had joined the group,_

"What happened here?" _the Commander asked._

"One of our Comrades was taken by her former Master. She was given her freedom by the man that won her three years ago. And she was legally pronounced dead." _Varo announced._

"We will find them. It is best if you leave and go back to your ship now. When we have them, we will let you know."

With that the Commander and his men bounded off after Myst and her Master, hopefully to find them before three days was up or Myst would be lost to the crew of Destiny forever. The group sullenly went back to Destiny but would be back in the morning with more soldiers to help in the search for one of their own.

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_

**Vocabulary (in order of appearance):**

**Orphelia:** Like an open farmer's market

**Jinga:** Lord/God/Deity

**Tutra:** Trade

**Di:** Yes

**Dakk:** Do

**Wolch:** What

**Ya:**You

**Neita:** Need [N-eh-ee-tah]

**Ehtcha:** Sweetener

**Por:** For

**Atch:** And

**Bracha:** Drinks

**Vate:** Have

**Zeyla:** Show

**Cocoba:** Of course

**Stritu:** Domed portable beehive

**Untrea dreat:** Musical & Dance Festival

**Xanchor:** Freedom

**Mak'ro:** The name of Myst's Master.


	8. Enslaved Again

**Enslaved Again:**

**Myst's World:**

I woke to find myself in the storage room of Mak'ro's home, chained to what looked like a bed post. The last thing I remember was Mak'ro grabbing my arm during the Untrea Dreat, screaming and then a gun blast. I don't know if anyone was injured or anything, my mind becomes fuzzy after that point in time. What I do know is that Mak'ro has me again and I have to fight to get away from him once more. There is no Sabrekey here to win my freedom this time. I have to fight him myself. My thoughts are interrupted by a door banging loudly open and I am brought back to the present as Mak'ro's form fills the storage room doorway. He looms over me with a sneer on his face that tells me that I am in trouble.

"Yourt bracha ratush olf yit (Your drink warring off yet)?"

"Wolch riid ya zeta mit (What did you give me)?"

"Ya spike rache iil (You don't like it)?"

"Do, nupa lok're mit falt (No, now let me go)!"

"Oon yourt dreaps (In your dreams)!"_ With that he smacked me and grabbed me around the neck, pulling me tight to him and smelling me all over. I knew what he wanted, but I wouldn't give it to him._

"Y'acki meitra raj (You're mine forever)!"

"Falt ti hort (Go to hell)!"

My back talking got me another hand across the face, but I didn't care. I was buying myself time for Colonel Young to mount a rescue mission and hopefully get the Sabrekey to lend a hand. I knew that Storm would be with them as he would want me found as quickly as possible. We had never been separated before. Mak'ro threw me on the makeshift bed that he had put in the store room and then descended onto me. I knew that I would not be able to get away from him. My screams were smothered by one of his large hands.

**A Rescue Plan:**

Colonel Young was dismayed to hear what had happened at the festival that Myst so obviously loved and was showing them around. He'd come to an agreement with the Sabrekey on Aphelion that they would help in the search for Myst as well. Grear and James would be on Storm as he seemed to like them more than anyone else at the moment and they had been training with Myst on how to control him. Varo was coming along as well as a few key members of the crew that really wanted to get me back. Though it was only soldiers that were coming on the rescue missions, all of the crew of Destiny wished for my safe return. TJ was on standby, having not wanted to be there when the young girl was rescued. She had opted to staying behind and figuring out what she might need to help the girl cope. The rescue team met up with the Sabrekey on Aphelion five minutes after leaving Destiny through the gate. They had kept the shuttles docked on Destiny for there was no reason to show these people what they were really capable of.

**An Escape & Rescue:**

I came to with Mak'ro looking at me. He was dressed again and I realized that all he had done was move my sweats down to do what he wanted. He was holding what looked like a whip and I knew it was over. I prayed that Colonel Young and his soldiers would find me soon because I didn't know if I would be able to survive Mak'ro's whip this time.

He started hitting me as soon as my jacket, shirt and raptor knife was on the ground. My arms were tied above my head and my back was to him. He had a smile on his face as he lashed my back over and over again gaining a scream from me every time the whip made contact with my skin. By the time the Sabrekey got there I didn't know how they would find me. He continued to whip me and I continued to scream over and over again. Neither of us heard the sounds of a patrol unit coming to a halt outside.

_Meanwhile…_ Colonel Young and his search team had met up with the Sabrekey that was looking for Myst and her former Master. A slave that had gotten her freedom was to never be a slave again, as is the law of the Krochan Galaxy. The fact that Mak'ro had deliberately grabbed me to get me back in his grasp again was breaking not only Aphelion law but also the law of _Jingul_ (President of Aphelion). According to Jingul: no slave was allowed to become a slave again if they had their freedom. If a slave was taken back after freedom was given, then the Master shall have prison time and lose all his possessions and standings in the community. When the Master got out of the prison, he was automatically made a slave and would never get his freedom given to him (or he would die a slave).

The Sabrekey had come to a halt in front of a house where screaming had been heard by all neighbors. Colonel Young and his team were standing next to Storm when his ears peaked up. He started a low growl which told the group as well as the Sabrekey that his friend and rider was in the house and in danger. Varo jumped down from Storm but James kept him in check so that he didn't give away their position. The group made entry with the Sabrekey and within moments the screams had stopped.

_In the store room…_Mak'ro seemed to realize that there was someone else in his house besides himself and me for he had stopped whipping me and turned around just in time to get the butt of a plasma shotgun to the side of his head. He collapsed and the Sabrekey bound his hands behind his back, dragging him outside in the process. Varo grabbed the raptor knife from the ground where it had been discarded and cut the cords that bound my wrists above my head. Grear picked up the shirt and handed Varo the jacket to put on me before he picked me up. Colonel Young and his group left to go back to the gate and the Sabrekey said they wanted to be told if I lived through the night. They promised to let them know as Varo mounted Storm with me in his arms. The group left the way they had come; only now they had their newest member safe in Varo's arms.

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_

**Vocabulary (in order of appearance):**

**Yourt:** Your

**Bracha:** Drink

**Ratush:** Warring

**Olf:** Off

**Yit:** Yet

**Wolch:** What

**Riid:** Did

**Ya:** You

**Zeta:** Give

**Mit:** Me

**Spike:** Don't

**Rache:** Like

**Iil:** It

**Do:** No

**Nupa:** Now

**Lok're:** Let

**Falt:** Go

**Oon:** In

**Dreaps:** Dreams

**Meitra:** Mine

**Achee:** Are

**Y'acki:** You're (You are)

**Raj:** Forever

**Hort:** Hell

**Ti:**To

**Jingul:** The Minister/President of Aphelion


	9. Leaving Aphelion

**[Look down below for the meaning of the words that Myst uses to describe what Mak'ro did to her while in his care.]**

**Leaving Aphelion:**

**Through The Gate:**

Once back at the gate Colonel Young used the Kino remote and dial Destiny. The gate activated and the team went through with Storm in the middle. They needed to get Myst to TJ as soon as possible. Though Storm was used to having people on his back, he wasn't used to Myst being injured and it made him walk a little more cautious then he normally would. Once through the gate, Varo dismounted carefully and headed for the Infirmary where TJ and Chloe were waiting. Chloe had opted to helping TJ anyway she could but when Varo brought Myst into the Infirmary followed closely by a very anxious Storm who wasn't being held back very well by James, she knew that it was worse than what they all might think.

**Back Aboard Destiny:**

"James, you might as well put Storm in their shared room or take him to the Observation Deck. The rest of the crew has gathered on the Observation deck for the time being."

"Of course Colonel. Come on Storm; let TJ do her work we'll find out when she's done." _James said as the big cat reluctantly followed her to the Observation Deck._

"TJ?"

"Varo just laid her down Colonel. I'll know more when I've taken a look at her. It will be a while."

"Duly noted, everyone that isn't helping, get out and let TJ do her work."

Reluctantly the Infirmary emptied of everyone except TJ, Chloe and Varo who seemed to be attached to the young girl. Grear set Myst's shirt and raptor knife on one of the tables that wasn't being used and moved out as well, leading Dr. Park as he went. Chloe and Varo handed TJ the instruments she needed but when it came time for the full medical exam, Varo opted to standing outside until it was over. After the exam, which came up positive, Varo walked back in and sat with her as TJ left to get the Colonel. Upon reaching the Observation Deck, Storm was the first the see her as he had been facing the doorway. He stood up when she came in and Eli was the first to speak.

"How's Myst?"

"She'll live, but her emotional and physical scars will take the longest to heal."

"Emotional I get, but what about her physical scars?" _James asked._

"Not only did this guy whip her badly on her back, but it also looks like he raped her as well. Varo stepped out of the room while I performed the exam but he saw my face when he came back in. Now I don't know if when he had her, having sex was a normal thing or not because she has some old scars there to. In that case, she's going to have to talk about it and right now, I don't think she's going to open up that much."

"But she'll live through the night?" _Scott asked._

"Yes, she will live through this night and the many more nights she is on this ship. Whether or not she gets pregnant from this has yet to be seen."

"Well we can deal with that bridge when it comes to it."

"Yes we will."

_Meanwhile…_I had started coming around in the Infirmary and noticed that I was not alone. Upon first thought, I thought Mak'ro had sold me to one of his buddies but then my senses cleared and I realized that I was back on Destiny. I relaxed a bit before I opened my eyes to see Chloe and Varo looking at me with anxious faces. I smiled and looked at Chloe.

"Hey, welcome back." _Chloe said_

"How long have I been out?"

"Only since we found you with that guy, so about an hour and a half. TJ preformed a full medical exam on you and bandaged your scars so you should be healed in no time." _Varo said._

"She performed an _estlax_? She didn't find out that I was _rotun_ did she?"

"Excuse me? What do those words mean?" _TJ asked walking back in with Eli, Scott and Grear behind her._ "Hope you don't mind, I brought some friends to say hi."

"Hey. Um, estlax means exam. And well rotun means…"

"It wouldn't happen to mean 'forced sexual intercourse' would it?" _TJ asked._

"Those are other words for its meaning, yes."

"It's okay. You're safe here, though the Sabrekey wanted to be told if you would survive the night or not." _Grear said._

"Where's Storm?"

"James is making sure he doesn't bound in here and hurt you anymore."

"You'll be moved to your room in a day or two but it will be easier if I keep you in here for now, to see how you get along. And you can help me categorize everything we got from Florineta."

"Okay, sounds good."

"Okay, you get some rest. We're going to check in with the Colonel. Varo, you coming?" _Scott asked._

"Yea, one second. Found this for you, thought you might want it back." _He said handing over my raptor knife._

"Thank you. Mak'ro found it and threw it on the ground with my shirt and jacket. Didn't think I'd ever see it again."

"It's pretty strong."

"It's raptor leg bone, it should be strong." _The guys left and TJ, Chloe, James and Dr. Park sat with me for a while. James had scrounged in the food storage and found the paper booklets I had bought and had brought them to me so I could fill them up._

"Figured you would want these. I know you said that they are for writing food recipes down, but you could at least use once of them to write down your thoughts while you on the ship. We all have the Kino but if you don't want to use the Kino you can use one of your booklets."

"Thank you James. TJ, will I get _Klu'chen_ because of what Mak'ro did to me?"

"Um, Klu'chen?"

"It means pregnant."

"Normally you would be given the morning after pill but because we have nothing like that all the way out here, then there is a small possibility that you might get pregnant. You also might not get pregnant."

"But what about all of Mak'ro's other slaves? What will happen to them?"

"Good thing you asked that," _Colonel Young said walking in,_ "we just checked in with the Sabrekey commander and he was wondering the same thing. Apparently all of Mak'ro's friends have been vying for his slaves now that he's in prison for what he did to you. The Sabrekey can either give the slaves to them or find another place for them to be safe. They've asked us to take them on, not as slaves, but as freedom children, or I think that was the translation.

"That's the translation. The words are _Xanchor Xilch_. The Xanchor Xilch grows in numbers every year and as far as I can see, no one has been able to find a suitable planet for them to stay on. I wouldn't mind looking after them."

"That's good because we already said yes. And we won't just be getting these Freedom Children either. The Sabrekey tracked down your family and we have agreed to take them on as well."

"You found my family?"

"We asked the Sabrekey to look them up and they did for us. We knew that you would want to be with your family if you could not be on Aphelion."

"Thank you Colonel, thank you so much. When will they get here?"

"Well, they are bringing most of their belongings with them, so the Sabrekey are helping them pack and then I've instructed Scott and Grear to stand by the Aphelion side of the gate and escort the group over. The Sabrekey Commander seemed glad to hear that you would live. He also said to tell you that Jingul Law is in effect for Mak'ro, whatever that word means."

"Jingul Law: no slave was allowed to become a slave again if they had their freedom. If a slave was taken back after freedom was given, then the Master shall have prison time and lose all his possessions and standings in the community. When the Master got out of the prison, he was automatically made a slave and would never get his freedom given to him (or he would die a slave)."

"Well hope he has fun getting the shit beat out of him for what he did to you."

"Thank you, bu I think I want to see Storm now."

"Scott and Grear have him on Aphelion so that they can load him up with our new crew member's belongings and get them aboard faster."

"Well then, after he gets back?" _I asked with a smile on my face._

"After he gets back. We should let you rest. Everyone except TJ and Dr. Park out"

After everyone left, TJ helped Dr. Park over to a bed close to mine and she lay down as well to get some sleep. When TJ came back in, we started whispering.

"What's wrong with Dr. Park?"

"She was blinded when we had to go through a superhot star to recharge in the last galaxy we were in."

"Are you saying this ship is solar powered?"

"Yes, this ship is solar powered. We couldn't go through a normal star because an enemy was blocking them and we didn't want to go through another battle with them. It took us three years in constant FTL to get to this galaxy and I think we are starting to like the fact that there are people in this galaxy. Albeit, we don't really care for the slavery and all, but we understand more about this galaxy since you came aboard."

"Have you made contact with your friends from your home planet since I've been on board?"

"Only once and that was because we had to tell them about Chloe being missing on Dinoplenta. Get some rest, your eyes are starting to droop and the more rest you get the better chances of you getting out of the infirmary sooner rather than later."

"Thank you TJ, for everything."

"You're welcome.

"Jinga zool ya!"

"Now what does that mean?"

"God Bless You!"

"Well maybe you should start teaching us this language of yours when you feel better. Sleep, that's an order!"

She let me get some rest as she moved to one of the bins we had gotten from Florineta. I had been slowly helping her catalog everything that we had gotten from the planet and she liked the help. Now I would be able to help her more, though I was starting to get a little crut'chen (hungry).

**More Mouths To Feed:**

When I woke up next, an entire day had gone by. I hadn't realized how tired I was. The Xanchor Xilch along with my family was on board and Storm was set to helping James watch over me. Because TJ had an influx of patients to see for medical exams, Varo and James had temporarily moved me back to my room until all the medical exams were complete. Storm was sleeping next to the bed as James had scolded him for trying to jump up on the bed and sleep with me.

"Hey there sleepy head, welcome back." _James said moving to take my hand._

"How long have I been asleep?"

"About twelve hours. Everyone is on board and Storm has a new friend to look after and train. The Sabrekey gave us a saber cub to raise and help Storm so he wouldn't have to carry everything we traded for." _Varo said._

"Then who will train the cub, because I don't think I will be able to for a while?"

"Well, Varo seems to like her and Eli and Chloe can't get enough of her."

"They gave us a female cub?"

"Guess they figured when she was old enough, the two could mate and we would have a whole pride of Sabertooth's running around and able to help us in the security measures."

"Guess that's what they figured. How come I'm in my room and not the Infirmary?"

"TJ had to perform medical exams on our new crewmates so until they are completed, you'll be resting in here. Chloe just left to get some food for all of us as well as Storm. He's gone back to eating scraps like you used to give him, though we'll have to change that now that we have all this food."

"We won't have to ration with so many more mouths to feed?"

"Colonel Young says we will have to keep a good amount in storage if we don't ration and with as many planets around here that have humans living on them, that shouldn't be much of a problem."

"So, have you two tro'sten'ta (hooked up) yet?"

"Excuse me? What does that mean?"

"I see the way you look at each other and I'm not the only one. Everyone else sees it as well."

"Very well played, very well played." _Chloe said coming in with food and water. Eli was following her with the saber cub in his arms and some food of his own._

"So I get to see this new cub of ours."

"For some reason the Sabrekey said you would know what to do with her. Guess she was the runt of the litter." _Eli said._

"Well, runts aren't always bad. This little girl will make a good mama one day. In studies, our scientists have learned that females that are runts in their litters become mothers more often than the females that are born first."

"That's good to know. Anything else we should know?"

"Only that I'm crut'chen and I need whatever smells good in Chloe's hands right now."

"Alright, you don't even have to tell us what that word means. Here, TJ said you could only have soup for now. Becker reheated some of last night's soup for you as according to TJ, that's all you will be eating for the next few days. He's keeping it in one of the bins we got from Florineta; apparently they aren't just used for storage. They are also great for keeping things refrigerated as well."

"Yes that's the _crosten_ in them. It means that they are made with crosten minerals. When crafted into storage bins, it keeps things cool and won't spoil food."

"So kind of like a fridge then."

"Yes, like your fridge."

We ate in silence for a little while before Eli started speaking.

"So, are you ever going to open up about what Mak'ro did to you, I mean not this last time cause you no. But I mean about before your crash? TJ thinks it would be a good idea for you to open up." _Eli finished._

"James was right. I don't have to use all the booklets I bought for food recipes. I'm going to use one of them as a journal and I will just write my feelings down."

"TJ could get a doctor that deals with that kind of stuff on board from Earth you know. Whatever you told her would never be known on the ship. You could get all your frustrations out and nobody would ever be the wiser." _James implied._

"Yea, but who's body would she use? And what about her notes? Who would keep them safe without looking at them?"

"TJ would probably lock them away once we get a file cabinet on the ship or a place to lock them away." _Chloe said._

"Well as far as I know, we're not going back to Aphelion at all so that won't work."

"Maybe another planet on the way, say as we hit the central planets?" _Varo asked._

"That could work, but I've never been to the central planets. They have some different rules and laws than the outer planets and Aphelion is an outer planet."

"Your family would probably know."

"Good point."

Family Reunion:

After all of the medical exams were finished, TJ sent Grear to tell Varo to bring Myst back to the Infirmary. She told him not to mention anything about the visitors in the Infirmary as she wanted it to be a surprise.

"Hey Grear, what can we do for you?" _Chloe asked._

"TJ wants Myst back in the Infirmary. All the medical exams are over and she wants Myst where she can keep an eye on her."

"Well so much for staying in my room for much longer."

"Yea well, you did know it was only temporary." _James said._

"Shwambug."

"What does that mean?" _Eli asked picking the cub up as well as the dishes from the food they had eaten._

"It means ah darn! It's a loose word to saying 'I don't want to'."

"Not like you have much of a choice. Tell you what; you can keep the cub with you so you have something to do."

"Sound like a plan to me, though I'm not so sure I'll be able to walk."

"Varo carried you back onto the ship, into the Infirmary and when we needed you out of the Infirmary, he moved you here as well. He can sure as heck carry you back to the Infirmary."

"What do you say Varo?"

"Just need to get some things packed up for you to keep you entertained and we should be good."

"Don't forget the booklet. The others can stay here for now. And I'm going to need something to write with. I don't know what happened to the writing utensils I traded for back at the Orphelia."

"I think they still might be in the basket you put the booklets and cooking book in. By the way, if you couldn't tell, Becker used one of the recipes from the cookbook to make the soup." _Grear said._

"Oh what about the pies? Whatever happened to them?"

"They are in the Crosten Container, with all the other food we don't want to spoil." _Chloe mentioned._

"Well at least you're picking up on the Krochan language."

"Eh, you say it enough and we pick up on it."

"That is a good point."

Talking stopped as Varo handed me my bag of entertainment (or otherwise known as: sewing and carving materials), picked me up in the blanket and headed out the door with the small group of people following him. He headed for the Infirmary and got a quick glance from Grear that told him someone was waiting in the Infirmary for me. Before he entered the Infirmary, Grear took my belongings out of my hands so that I didn't throw them at anyone. When we entered the Infirmary, my eyes sought out the group standing in one corner of the room. They looked familiar, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Varo put me down on the bed next to all the instruments as TJ got busy putting another IV in my arm to keep fluids running. When she was done and my belongings were on the side table next to me, my friends moved out of the way as a man and woman moved forward with five kids in tow, the oldest looking to be at least fourteen years of age.

"Do you I know you?"

"It would stand to reason that you wouldn't remember us. You haven't seen us in such a long time and the last time you saw us, you were only about…"

"Mort, dort, is it really you?"

"Of course it's us. When we realized that you might be lost to us forever, we didn't at first know what to do. Then we took the advice of a close friend of ours and decided that we weren't done having a family. We want you to meet your siblings. This is Quinain, your fourteen-year-old sister; Mitko, your eleven-year-old sister; Jaqurn & Jaquim, your eight-year-old twin brothers and Coalsaphina, your five-year-old sister but everyone calls her Coal."

"It's nice to meet you all."

"And it's nice to meet you finally. When the Sabrekey announced that the ship you had been on was missing and you were announced dead, mort and dort kind of went into a meltdown. It was as if they were finally losing you. They were depressed for a while until I told them that I would join the Sabrekey instead of Dance School and look for you myself." _Quinain said._

"You like to dance?"

"Of course and apparently I'm the only one in the family that can actually dance, not that the others haven't tried, it just ends badly."

"I bet. I could never really dance either and as a slave I understood it to be one of the only ways out of slavery if'n you weren't freed any other way."

"How did you earn your Xanchor? We were never really told that?"

"A Sabrekey named Kut'rat'a fought in a Sabretite and won thus Mak'ro, my master, was forced to hand me over as he had bet me to the winner of the fight. He'd never lost a fight so he didn't think he would this time. His Sabertooth was badly injured in the fight and had to be put down and Kut'rat'a took me and a saber cub-which grew into Storm-and left Aphelion. We were headed for his home when we crashed on a planet I named Dinoplenta, because it was full of carnivorous dinosaurs."

"Sounds dangerous! So is that where you have been stuck the last three years?" _Mitko asked._

"Yes. Though it wasn't that bad, I had Storm to help protect me and I turned into one creaka artc (kick ass) hunter that's for sure."

"You do know that most of the people that lived on Aphelion do not portch (swear)?" _Dort asked._

"Well you better get used to it here. These people are mostly military. Portch is in their vocabulary."

"Is that anyway to speak to your Dort? I understand that you have been away for a while, but you need to watch you language around us. Say what you want around your new friends, but you watch how and what you say to your mort, dort and sort (siblings)!"

"Yes dorta (papa)."

As the talking came to an end, my parents ushered my siblings out to let me get some rest and said that they would be back in the morning. The saber cub was asleep on my lap so I pulled out some of the raptor bones, my carving knife and started widdeling away on the end of the bone, trying to make it sharper. Becker had complained about not having the proper knives to cut meat with so I was making him the proper knives. TJ went about doing some normal things before grabbing a bed as well for the night and falling asleep. It was a quiet night after that and the only sounds in the Infirmary were the breathing of two humans and the purring of a saber cub!

_**More to come in next chapter…**_

_**Please Review…**_

**Vocabulary (in order of appearance):**

**Estlax:** Exam/Examined

**Rotun:** Rape/Raped

**Klu'chen:** Pregnant

**Xanchor Xilch:** Freedom Children [Zilch]

**Jinga:** God

**Zool:** Bless

**Ya:** You

**Crut'chen:** Hungry

**Tro'sten'ta:** Hooked up

**Crosten:** A mineral that when crafted into a storage tin, keeps things cool like a fridge would.

**Shwambug:** Ah darn!

**Orphelia:** An open farmer's market

**Mort:** Mom

**Dort:** Dad

**Creaka:** Kick

**Artc:** Ass

**Portch:** Swear

**Sort:** Siblings

**Dorta:** Papa

**Morta:** Mama


End file.
